Chapter 7
The neighbor’s words hit Chuck so hard, he forgot Yasmine was even gone. Mind: blank.
“Where’d you hear that?” Caroline snapped first, grabbing the guy’s collar.
Sebastian stayed quiet, but his face said it all. They thought they’d covered every angle–especially with Yasmine basically on lockdown. The second she vanished, they were always on her.
“What the hell is happening?”
Sebastian turned to Chuck, eyes narrowing. “Did you crack? Tell her the truth?”
It was the only thing that made sense.
“Seriously? Sharon just got pregnant. Why would I mess that up?”
Chuck blinked, then zeroed in on the neighbor’s phone–celebrity gossip lit up the screen. Dead center? Him and Sharon.
Before he could react, his secretary rushed in, tablet in hand. “Mr. Benetton–bad news.
“Mrs. Benetton just dropped everything online. You and Sharon? It’s all out there.
“People are calling you an accomplice to attempted murder. The company’s stock is tanking. So is Adelson Corp’s.”
Chuck’s voice cracked. “What?”
He snatched the tablet–hate comments were flooding in.
[No one deserves to be lied to for six years. She didn’t even know she wasn’t their real daughter. She offered to leave the second
she found out–never tried to take someone else’s place.]
[Stabbed, nearly died, then forced into marriage so the culprit could dodge jail. And they still drugged her to block her from
having kids–just to keep the “real” daughter’s spot open. What kind of karma is that?]
(Do her real parents know? Must be heartbreaking.)
(Honestly, the stabbing feels earned. She repaid them for the years they “raised” her. But why didn’t she just go to her real family? Too hooked on the money, maybe?]
A few tried defending them, but the rage was deafening.
“It’s over. It’s all over.” Caroline’s face went white.
Sebastian’s jaw clenched, veins popping
“We gave her everything. She can’t even show a little gratitude? Without us, she’d be nothing. You think her broke birth parents
could’ve raised her like we did?”
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Chapter 7
+25 Bonus
He turned to Chuck, furious. “Find her. That ungrateful brat just torched our lives. Let’s see what’s left when the dust settles.”
Not interesting at all
